The principal of Lebowakgomo Secondary School in Limpopo, whose school was damaged by a storm at the weekend, says the building poses a huge safety risk.

Nkosinathi Shongwe said the school building was old and it would need a new building for the staff and children to be safe.

The storm blew away three blocks of classrooms and an administration block on Saturday.

During a visit to the school by Sowetan yesterday, reporters saw that the school's roof was missing and pieces of corrugated iron were lying on the ground. Some of the classrooms' roofs had been partially ripped away.

Shongwe said that the school had not been renovated since opening in 1982.

"We are worried about our safety and that of our pupils. The school building is very old. We can only feel safe once we have a new structure for the school," he said.

The storm also damaged the offices of the Education Department and houses in Lebowakgomo.

Education MEC Aaron Motsoaledi said yesterday that they would help the school. He said, however, that there were many other schools that also needed the department's help.